1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image forming apparatus to form an image on a photosensitive film on which a latent image is formed when irradiated with light.
2. Description of Related Art
A laser imager that forms a latent image on a photosensitive film on the basis of image information by scanning the photosensitive film with laser beam and makes the latent image on the photosensitive film visible by heat processing to the photosensitive film, is known. The laser imager is preferably used for outputting a visible image of diagnostic part of an object to be examined by a medical image radiographing apparatus on the photosensitive film, the medical image radiographing apparatus such as an X-ray radiographing apparatus, a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), a CT (Computed Tomography) or the like.
The above-described laser imager forms a diagnostic image on the photosensitive film on the basis of the image information with conveying the photosensitive film which is a recording medium along a conveying path in order. A recording apparatus such as various types of printers, various types of copy machines or the like has a structure to record an image on a recording medium with conveying the recording medium along a conveying path, like the laser imager. In an image forming apparatus including the laser imager, at least a recording medium is jammed by a characteristic, damage, a fold or the like, of the recording medium.
The jammed recording medium is a common problem to recording apparatuses to convey recording mediums, and it is difficult that the recording apparatuses avoid the problem. In case where the recording medium is jammed, the recording apparatus avoids a further inconvenient problem caused by the jammed recording medium, by continuously conveying a recording medium capable of being conveyed continuously to the outside of the apparatus, or by conveying back the jammed recording medium to a feeding section without conveying the recording medium in a conveying direction continuously (for example, with reference to Japanese Patent Application Publication (Unexamined) No. Tokukai-hei 6-297813 (first and second embodiments)).
However, in case technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication (Unexamined) No. Tokukai-hei 6-297813 (first and second embodiments) is applied to the laser imager, if the jammed photosensitive film is conveyed back to the feeding section, there is possibility that a shielding shutter of the feeding section is opened because the photosensitive film is not conveyed back to the feeding section completely. In the case, if a little light is irradiated to photosensitive films contained in the feeding section, the photosensitive films on which images are not recorded can be exposed and wasted.
Further, because the image recording apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication (Unexamined) No. Tokukai-hei 6-297813 (first and second embodiments) has a simple conveying path for the recording medium, even if the recording medium is jammed in the conveying path, the image recording apparatus can deal with the jammed recording medium relatively easily. However, in case wherein the conveying path is complicated, once the recording medium is jammed, it is required to spend time on specifying a jammed part or removing the jammed recording medium. Specially, when a plurality of sheets of recording mediums are conveyed along a relatively long conveying path at the same time, it is distinguished to spend the time.